So to Speak | Joe Blundo commentary: Bandleader goes to aid of pianist and mentor

Sunday

Feb 27, 2011 at 12:01 AMFeb 28, 2011 at 4:03 PM

In 1974, jazz pianist Bob Allen thrilled a young drummer by inviting him to become part of the Bob Allen Trio.

In 1974, jazz pianist Bob Allen thrilled a young drummer by inviting him to become part of the Bob Allen Trio.

"It was the most significant musical experience of my life," bandleader Rick Brunetto said. "I attribute my whole career to my years with Bob."

Allen, 71, is in a wheelchair, with both legs amputated in the summer and his livelihood in jeopardy.

And Brunetto, 59, has gone to the aid of his mentor.

He has organized a benefit concert for next Sunday at which about a dozen central Ohio jazz pianists, plus other musicians, will play. And, thanks to some ingenuity and plumbing parts, so will Allen.

For about 50 years, Allen - born blind in Cleveland - has been a fixture on the Columbus music scene. He made his living in lounges, some long gone: the Maramor, the Christopher Inn.

Allen, who graduated in 1963 from Capital University in Bexley, is known for his ability to mix classical music with jazz and pop.

From the first time he heard Allen's group (www.boballentrio.com), Brunetto was captivated.

"It was my dream to play with that trio," he said.

He got his chance after Allen stopped by a lounge where Brunetto was playing with his group Raintree. The pianist needed a drummer. Brunetto joined his trio, and they played together for years.

Allen's health began to fail around 2003, when he underwent heart-bypass surgery. Diabetes and circulatory problems followed.

He used a walker at home but never at the Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in Upper Arlington, where he played regularly in recent years.

"I didn't want people to see me using it," he said.

"Stubborn," chimed in Mickey, his wife of six years.

After his legs were amputated last year, Allen - known for his resilience as well as his music - didn't let the loss destroy him.

"They were raving at the hospital about how well he was accepting the whole thing," Mickey said.

Still, the disruption was substantial and expensive. Allen had to move to more accessible quarters; lost his source of income; and, perhaps worst of all, could no longer reach the piano's three foot pedals.

So Brunetto, leader of the Rick Brunetto Big Band, went to work. Using pipe, elbow fittings, springs and levers he devised a contraption that looks vaguely like a plumbing fixture and allows Allen to control the sustain pedal, the most important of the three.

The device rises from the pedal to about the height of the keyboard. Allen operates it with the stump of his right leg.

Some tinkering remains to be done, and the other pedals remain out of reach.

Allen isn't complaining.

"For the time being, I'll be happy with one," the pianist said.

Then he whipped through a song to demonstrate. It was You Make Me Feel So Young.